I'm currently reading The Book of Skulls by Robert SilverbergIt's playing out kind of like the ultimate horror movie cliché, a bunch of college kids go on a road trip to seek some mysterious place with the promise of immortality or death that one of them read about in some book he found in the library, but as it was written in the early 70s it possible pre-dates the cliché. Either way, it's well written and I'm only 1/3 of the way through the 200 or so pages, and I already feel quite attached to these 4 characters, who are, although caricatures, well rounded and human, and most importantly relatable.

Just finished The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides and it was a great vacation read. Eugenides is great at intermingling the ordinary and the bizarre, in such a way that even the ordinary parts are spell-binding.

Started reading The Way of Kings. Very much enjoying it, but also dreading the fact that I'll have to re-read it, since it's book 1, and Sanderson is working on about 3 other things right now, so god knows when books 2 and 3 will happen.

Also saw Empire State at a book store. Should have gotten it, but my brother snagged it first. Now I have book envy, and want to read it. Dammit brain, stop thinking like that! I easily have 100 books on my shelves that need to be read! I don't need to buy another! Even if Half Price Books is having a sale this weekend.

When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up. - CS Lewis

I KNOW. As much as I loved Snuff, I much prefer to hear about the seedier underbelly (kinda like the supporter gangs in Unseen Academicals). You have to believe a book taking the piss out of Oliver Twist-style street kids is going to give a good take on that.

Saying that, I remember laughing heartily at the suggestion that the quality of his writing is going downhill recently. I've never known the physical condition of an authour to colour someone's opinion so badly.

Everything's dead until it's alive. Man will exist, and then he will die. Just take the ride!

3fj wrote:I KNOW. As much as I loved Snuff, I much prefer to hear about the seedier underbelly (kinda like the supporter gangs in Unseen Academicals). You have to believe a book taking the piss out of Oliver Twist-style street kids is going to give a good take on that.

Saying that, I remember laughing heartily at the suggestion that the quality of his writing is going downhill recently. I've never known the physical condition of an authour to colour someone's opinion so badly.

I need to pick up Snuff and give it a read through. I was disappointed by Wintersmith and Nation (I mean, they're good, but they're nowhere near Maurice) and am afraid the rest of the books he wrote after those might be meh as well. Wasn't interested in Unseen Academicals. I've heard enough good about Snuff to dare try it though.

Just finished reading Jack Faust, by Michael Swanwick . It pretty much blew my mind. I loved the concept of someone dropping pretty much all of human knowledge at a time where noone is prepared for it, and watch how it shapes this new world.

Slogging through book 8 of the Malazan book of the fallen series. I really enjoy the series, or certain aspects of it. He is so long winded though, and there is so much going on. 10 books too. I've been reading them in sets of 2 every once in a while the past few years. Started 7 in...maybe late August, possibly September. Halfway through was loving it. Really pushed myself to finish. Eight is just dragging me though. Nine and Ten will have to wait for next year, I'm done with them for now.

When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up. - CS Lewis

I'm currently rereading my way through David Weber's Honor Harrington series - starts out as Hornblower in space (one of the books features the French Revolution in space) but some of the later books revolutionise the technologies involved - getting aircraft carriers in space, torpedoes in space, and even submarines in space.

Fine with me.I am reading a silly book.I am an expert at getting lost. The man that wrote this book has learned and unlearned some of the same things I learned and unlearned.A list?1. Moss will grow on the shadeier side of a tree. Yes. The shadeier side is not always North.Some trees are covered all sides with moss. Some trees don't have any.2. The north star is Useless! Difficult to find. It is damn near impossible to find in a City. I looked during rain. It is a stupid thing to do. The North Star is a nice idea. Not much use to the Truely Lost.3. Sure. The sun is a reliable indicatior of direction. If that helps, then your not lost.Waiting for sunrise is one of the things that gives being lost a bad name. If one sleeps through sunrise on a dark day; That's lost.

I re-read it earlier this year because of the movie. My issue is the whole 3 movie thing. The copy of the book I had was I think 340 pages. Even if they have every single line of dialogue from the book, plus extra as filler, I don't see how they can drag this out to three freaking movies.

When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up. - CS Lewis

emceng wrote:I re-read it earlier this year because of the movie. My issue is the whole 3 movie thing. The copy of the book I had was I think 340 pages. Even if they have every single line of dialogue from the book, plus extra as filler, I don't see how they can drag this out to three freaking movies.

By adding material from The Silmarillion and the Unfinished Tales, is my understanding.

Oh, and I'm working through 20+ hours worth of Hyperion on audiobook and reading Fer-de-Lance, the first Nero Wolfe novel, in dead trees form. I've got 16 more books to go this month to reach my goal for this year. Probably not going to happen, but I like a challenge.

I re-read it earlier this year because of the movie. My issue is the whole 3 movie thing. The copy of the book I had was I think 340 pages. Even if they have every single line of dialogue from the book, plus extra as filler, I don't see how they can drag this out to three freaking movies.

Make the Battle of the Five Armies last over an hour or something, half an hour's worth of endings, that should take care of most of the third film. Obviously three films is a bad, money-driven idea though.

I'm reading The Outsider by Jonathan Wilson, which is about the history of the goalkeeper in football.

"Excuse me Miss, do you like pineapple?"

"I don't want to achieve immortality through my work, I want to achieve it through not dying"

My main gripe about them making the Hobbit 3 movies is that it comes after they squeezed LotR, each volume of which is roughly twice as long as the Hobbit into 3 movies - granted, I don't think they should have stretched it to 18 movies, but 6 would not have been unreasonable. Even 4 might have let them fit in the Scouring...

So I just finished the Revelation Space trilogy by Alastair Reynolds. That was a bit of an anticlimax.

Spoiler:

The Inhibitors were set up as all-powerful elder god creatures beyond the ken of mortal kind. But right at the end, these new ancient aliens called the conch-makers are invoked (who had barely been hinted at previously), and suddenly the Inhibitors aren't a threat any more, and we skip to an epilogue where they've been driven back to unknown space. What?!? I was expecting tales of epic battles and descriptions of new weapons provided by the conch-makers. But no - it ends when the protagonists decide at the last second not to enlist the help of the shadows (under very dubious reasoning, given the circumstances at the time) with the hope of enlisting the help of these other aliens instead when they're not even sure they exist. What the shitting fuck? Okay yeah, it turns out they did exist, but seriously? They wagered the continuation of their entire species on that long-shot piece of speculation?

On page 113 she writes, "the only new thing under the sun is the sound of another voice."

This may be a thinker's book.

A Man Without a Country by Kurt Connects

It seems he, like so many others, gave up on humanity.

Edward D.e.g.a.s. at HarvardI think this artist must have liked women.Woman must have been at ease with him around.One man that woman are comfortable with describe himself as the drummer in an all girl band.Edward D. may have been that kind of man.

Harvard has T

Life is, just, an exchange of electrons; It is up to us to give it meaning.

We are all in The Gutter.Some of us see The Gutter.Some of us see The Stars.by mr. Oscar Wilde.

Those that want to Know; Know.Those that do not Know; Don't tell them.They do terrible things to people that Tell Them.

Just finished up the novel Money by Martin Amis. It was written in 1984, and offers a study of hedonism in Capitalist america, and the benefits and pains that come with it. The writing style is interesting and a little unexpected, just enough so to make this a very interesting read.

If you're looking for a book to get into that's different from your normal reads, I guarantee Money will satisfy.

I'm reading Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-5. Enjoying it so far but I preferred Cat's Cradle. I've also been reading a lot of Western novels recommended by my dad. I didn't like Steigner's All the Little Live Things. All the Pretty Horses (McCarthy) is fantastic though.

The Great Hippo wrote:The internet's chief exports are cute kittens, porn, and Reasons Why You Are Completely Fucking Wrong.

addams wrote:How human of him. "If, they can do it, then, I can do it." Humans. Pfft. Poor us.

A Memory of Light, the final volume of The Wheel of Time series just came out and it is excellent. Of course you have to read the previous 13 books to understand this one, but I highly recommend the series.

Teachers must get so upset. What? You didn't read it?Who would assign this book? I did not read it for an Undergrad Project,

I have done some weird stuff. Victor had a few rough years, too. The man lived. Many did not.

The book I hold in my hands is the 1984 edition.1984 was a Magic year. We had avoided 1984.

Dr. Victor Frankl died in 1997. Man's inhumanity to man. Victor Frankl knew a great deal about the subject.

Spoiler?

Spoiler:

The first time through this book, I was impressed by the story of a man Dr. Frankl was seeing Professionally.Dr. Frankl was sure, 'Some people are evil. Beyond Redemption.'

As Dr. Frankl gossiped with the Pt. The Pt. told him about what a good friend Fat Rat Bastard had been in the Russian Prison. As I reread this book, that may be what I am looking for.

Oh. And; Something about some weird kind of Therapy he came up with. It is for people that have experienced some strange situations. I did not find that kind of Tx. interesting when I read it, the first time or two. The Tx. part is separate from the rest of the book. It is tacked on in the back, as I remember it.

This book is only 179 pages long. It may be a little preachy, in the last bit.

Oh, Dear. This edition; I memorized some of this book. I may have memorized it wrong. (Shrug.)The way I remembered it, "We, those of us that survived, know; The best of us did not survive."

It is nearly the same thing. Close enough. I did not memorize much of the book. I Had To! I could not carry many books. I had to get some Dr. Barnett in my head, too.Jeeze. What would you take? How would you take it?I took books, inside my head.*****I have use of an edit button. I want to talk about this book, while I reread it. Fairy Tails. We need fairy tails.

The man was having episodes of disassociation. He describes it beautifully. His mind went to an old Fairy Tail.He tells the Story in his own words.

Death in Teheran was an old fairy tail about a servant that askes his Master for the use of the Master's horse.Everyone tells the story a little different.The Master asks, "Why?"

The servant tells the Master he is frightened.The Master gives his servant his horse to use. (Like loaning an employee your car, only more.)

Later, The Master and Death meet and speak.Victor tells the story well.That story had great meaning to Dr. Frankle.

I'm currently reading the (non-fiction) Bad Pharma by Ben Goldacre - an in depth look at just how the pharmaceutical industry (including regulatory bodies) is killing people in large numbers through misreporting of clinical trials - the basic thesis of the book is: selective publication of "successful" trials is bad science (it's equivalent to tossing a coin a thousand times and only reporting the ~500 times it came up heads) and not only are medical researchers doing that, but corporate sponsors are actively burying "bad" results, and regulatory and oversight bodies are actively co-operating in keeping the data from patients, doctors, and the general public...

Just finished The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I have to say that I wasn't super impressed. The main problem is

Spoiler:

Mike. Mike is way, way too powerful. It kills all the suspense. It's hard to believe the Authority has any chance whatever of quashing the revolution when the good guys have root on a hard AI that runs just about everything on the entire moon. (It doesn't really help that the bad guys are dumb as bricks.)

When you have to resort to frequently just telling the reader that the odds are against the good guys, you've probably hamstrung your villains too much.

ahammel wrote:Just finished The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I have to say that I wasn't super impressed. The main problem is

Spoiler:

Mike. Mike is way, way too powerful. It kills all the suspense. It's hard to believe the Authority has any chance whatever of quashing the revolution when the good guys have root on a hard AI that runs just about everything on the entire moon. (It doesn't really help that the bad guys are dumb as bricks.)

When you have to resort to frequently just telling the reader that the odds are against the good guys, you've probably hamstrung your villains too much.

Spoiler:

The book isn't really a story about a colonial revolt; it's more of a study of the fictional society - the lunar revolt is conceived as a historical necessity (with the alternative being the collapse of the colony in food riots and cannibalism) and the inevitable consequence of colonial powers continuing to believe that they own the colonies even when the bulk of the population were born and raised out there. The point of the book is as much the Prof's lectures on ideal forms of government as it is to document a rebellion. It's a sociological essay disguised in an adventure story.